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$10M for Founders, AI Agents, and More. Plus, Can AI Outperform Human Therapists?

The best communicators, like the best designers, use clean lines Growing up stuttering I spent every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon with a speech therapist. I cannot remember how many of them I had for the simple fact that it was a lot, for the simple fact that I stuttered a lot. However, all of that changed the day I walked into an office and before I could introduce myself, the woman standing before me held up her hand and said, “Don’t worry about talking, that will come.” I was obviously taken back by someone who was being paid to help me learn how to talk, telling me to shut up, but I also felt relieved so I did what she said and quietly sat down. For the next thirty minutes or so we sat across from each other in complete silence, until sensing that I was beginning to finally relax, my therapist broke the ice and asked me a question. To my surprise, my response came out effortlessly, that is until I realised that I wasn’t stuttering and I got excited and fell right back into machine gun mode. But the important thing was that she showed me for the first time in my life that if I could control myself, I could control my stutter. Over the following weeks my therapist built off of my new found, yet still shaky confidence, and introduced to me four more ways to help me get over my stutter. And interestingly enough, many of the lessons she taught me some 20 years ago, are the very lessons I now teach to entrepreneurs, small business owners and business professionals at all levels who are looking to make better connections. 1. GO FIRST: As a teenager I was petrified to meet new people and when I brought this up to my therapist her response scared me even more. Over the weeks she had noticed that when I went first and initiated a conversation I had much more confidence and stuttered much less. So when it came to helping me get over my fear of meeting new people her answer was simple: “Michael, go first.” Often times the difference between good to great comes down to those that have the most diverse groups of friends and contacts. Being proactive with meeting new people has a beautiful way of compounding. You never know where someone you meet today will end up 5, 10, 15 years from now. Ask about the family of the person who holds the door for you as you enter the office each day. Inquire about what the young person is studying who serves you coffee each morning. Those who initiate the most conversations, not only create successful careers, but more importantly, they create meaningful lives. 2. SMALL WORDS MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT: One of my biggest problems with my stutter was that I would get hung up on big words. Quickly noticing this, time and time again my therapist would stop me and say, “ .” Big words do not impress anyone, especially if you stutter when you use them. I know what you want to say, and I know that there is an easier way to say it, so say that instead The best communicators, like the best designers, use clean lines. Pick up a book by , , , . Watch a presentation by [Steve Jobs](http://Growing up stuttering I spent every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon with a speech therapist. I cannot remember how many of them I had for the simple fact that it was a lot, for the simple fact that I stuttered a lot. However, all of that changed the day I walked into an office and before I could introduce myself, the woman standing before me held up her hand and said, “Don’t worry about talking, that will come.” I was obviously taken back by someone who was being paid to help me learn how to talk, telling me to shut up, but I also felt relieved so I did what she said and quietly sat down. For the next thirty minutes or so we sat across from each other in complete silence, until sensing that I was beginning to finally relax, my therapist broke the ice and asked me a question. To my surprise, my response came out effortlessly, that is until I realised that I wasn’t stuttering and I got excited and fell right back into machine gun mode. But the important thing was that she showed me for the first time in my life that if I could control myself, I could control my stutter. Over the following weeks my therapist built off of my new found, yet still shaky confidence, and introduced to me four more ways to help me get over my stutter. And interestingly enough, many of the lessons she taught me some 20 years ago, are the very lessons I now teach to entrepreneurs, small business owners and business professionals at all levels who are looking to make better connections. 1. GO FIRST: As a teenager I was petrified to meet new people and when I brought this up to my therapist her response scared me even more. Over the weeks she had noticed that when I went first and initiated a conversation I had much more confidence and stuttered much less. So when it came to helping me get over my fear of meeting new people her answer was simple: “Michael, go first.” Often times the difference between good to great comes down to those that have the most diverse groups of friends and contacts. Being proactive with meeting new people has a beautiful way of compounding. You never know where someone you meet today will end up 5, 10, 15 years from now. Ask about the family of the person who holds the door for you as you enter the office each day. Inquire about what the young person is studying who serves you coffee each morning. Those who initiate the most conversations, not only create successful careers, but more importantly, they create meaningful lives.  2. SMALL WORDS MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT: One of my biggest problems with my stutter was that I would get hung up on big words. Quickly noticing this, time and time again my therapist would stop me and say, “Big words do not impress anyone, especially if you stutter when you use them. I know what you want to say, and I know that there is an easier way to say it, so say that instead.” The best communicators, like the best designers, use clean lines. Pick up a book by Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, Ryan Holiday. Watch a presentation by Steve Jobs, Seth Godin or Simon Sinek. You will find easy to digest, bite sized words because they know that saying less always says more — because saying less is more memorable. Keep It Stupidly Simple. 3. FOCUS ON YOUR BODY AND BREATHE: When I asked my speech therapist how she was able to control my stutter better than I could, she responded by pulling out a video camera and recorded me for the next 20 minutes. When I began to get stuck on something, I noticed that I would try and push through instead of slowing down, taking a deep breathe and starting over again. In addition to erratic breathing patterns, my body language was all over the place. As soon as I started to stutter or get nervous I would drop my shoulders and my head which impeded my breathing even more resulting in me stuttering even more. When faced with a seasoned negotiator or business owner, they not only control what they say, they control how they say it, remaining cool from the word go. At first glance they may make it look easy, but for even the most experienced business executive, it is a skill they have developed by taking the time to observe themselves in their never-ending journey to become more self-aware. There is no better way to get good at this than getting down on paper a handful of your personal stories and recording yourself on your computer. The difference from “take 1” to “take 10” will be immediately evident. You will clearly see where you can improve your body language and facial gestures, when you need to raise your voice to drive a point home, and when to let the power of silence do the speaking for you. 4. SHUT UP AND LISTEN: Shortly into our sessions, my therapist told me that my biggest problem was not my stutter, it was the fact that I did not listen to other people. And she was dead right. I would get so stressed out about what I was going to say next that I would not listen to the person talking to me. As homework each week, my therapist made me carry around a little notebook and after each new person I met I had to write down as many notes about them as I possibly could in an attempt to help me to stop focusing on myself and to start focusing on other people. From the color of their shoes, to their dogs name, to their weekend plans, no detail was too small, in fact the smaller the better. Human beings are complex creatures, no doubt, but when it comes to relationships they are actually quite simple. People want to spend time with people they trust and people that show interest in them. It just so happens that being an attentive listener takes care of both of these. As I read over the words above and think back to my time in speech therapy I cannot help but this about how funny life is. One minute you can be entering a room, dreading what is about to come next, and moments later you can meet someone who has the potential to change your life forever…..just as long as you remember the words of my therapist and you shut up and listen.), or . You will find easy to digest, bite sized words because they know that saying less always says more — because saying less is more memorable. KISS — Keep It Stupidly Simple. Jack Welch Richard Branson Mark Cuban Ryan Holiday Seth Godin Simon Sinek 3. FOCUS ON YOUR BODY AND BREATHE: When I asked my speech therapist how she was able to control my stutter better than I could, she responded by pulling out a video camera and recorded me for the next 20 minutes. When I began to get stuck on something, I noticed that I would try and push through instead of slowing down, taking a deep breathe and starting over again. In addition to erratic breathing patterns, my body language was all over the place. As soon as I started to stutter or get nervous I would drop my shoulders and my head which impeded my breathing even more resulting in me stuttering even more. When faced with a seasoned negotiator or business owner, they not only control what they say, they control how they say it, remaining cool from the word go. At first glance they may make it look easy, but for even the most experienced business executive, it is a skill they have developed by taking the time to observe themselves in their never-ending journey to become more self-aware. There is no better way to get good at this than getting down on paper a handful of your personal stories and recording yourself on your computer. The difference from “take 1” to “take 10” will be immediately evident. You will clearly see where you can improve your body language and facial gestures, when you need to raise your voice to drive a point home, and when to let the power of silence do the speaking for you. 4. SHUT UP AND LISTEN: Shortly into our sessions, my therapist told me that my biggest problem was not my stutter, it was the fact that I did not listen to other people. And she was dead right. I would get so stressed out about what I was going to say next that I would not listen to the person talking to me. As homework each week, my therapist made me carry around a little notebook and after each new person I met I had to write down as many notes about them as I possibly could in an attempt to help me to stop focusing on myself and to start focusing on other people. From the color of their shoes, to their dogs name, to their weekend plans, no detail was too small, in fact the smaller the better. Human beings are complex creatures, no doubt, but when it comes to relationships they are actually quite simple. People want to spend time with people they trust and people that show interest in them. It just so happens that being an attentive listener takes care of both of these. As I read over the words above and think back to my time in speech therapy I cannot help but this about how funny life is. One minute you can be entering a room, dreading what is about to come next, and moments later you can meet someone who has the potential to change your life forever…..just as long as you remember the words of my therapist and you shut up and listen. is a communication coach and co-owner of currently residing in small town Catalunya with his dream family. Michael Thompson Corpore Wear If you enjoyed this story, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

4 Ways My Speech Therapist Can Help You To Build More Successful Relationships

Artificial intelligence, in all its forms, is on its way to disrupting many industries. Those in the know agree the current media hype is unwarranted due to the limitations of current deep learning models, hardware and messy databases. But AI has captured the imagination of the general public leading to an overflow of speculative possibilities. As a clinical psychologist, I have had the opportunity to observe the evolving field of psychotherapy over the past 30 years. From the client centered, Gestalt approaches of the 1970’s, to the rise of cognitive-behavioral techniques of the 1980’s and 90’s, to emotionally-focused, attachment based therapies at the turn of the century, to current mindfulness approaches to stress management and distress. It has been a wild ride, with each vogue reflecting the evolving social, political, scientific, technological and economic realities underpinning these changes in my field. If we choose to believe the current media hype, it appears that AI will define the future of psychotherapy. So what may this look like? In its present state, AI therapy will be limited to parroting simple feedback, encouraging you to look on the bright side, validating your emotional state, correcting your distorted cognitions and so forth. Not much different than the encouragement a first-year college student gets from a caring parent when calling or texting home during his or her first month away at school. Helpful? Sure, therapeutic? Well, that depends on how you define therapeutic. What is therapeutic? People seek out therapy not for information, but for novel experiences that lead to novel change. , the originator of Experiential Psychotherapy, claimed that Experiential Therapy made you a qualitatively different person once you’ve tapped into your deeper potentials for experiencing. His approach is somewhat radical, with both client and therapist sitting side by side with eyes closed, immersing themselves in the emotionally intense scenes from the client’s life. And by attending to bodily sensations, the therapist guides the client to dig around for deeper possibilities to experience. According to Mahrer, by being a rageful lunatic, or being a deeply loving and passionate spouse, and at times both in the same 90-minute session, can bring about significant changes within the client. Dr. Alvin Mahrer People seek out therapy not for information, but for novel experiences that lead to novel change. ’s Emotionally Focussed Therapy also seeks to immerse clients in the experiential moment with significant others, albeit absent others and coaches them to tap into their adaptive primary emotions lying dormant underneath their maladaptive emotions. His empty chair in session exercises invite clients to attend to the physical, emotional and cognitive fabric of their here and now experiences with the absent other, brought to life in the therapeutic moment. Dr. Les Greenberg ’s Emotionally Focussed, attachment-based Therapy (EFT) for couples shares similar goals but with the significant other present in the room. No need to imagine the other person who is pissing you off, he or she is right there next to you in the room. It is an empirically validated approach that can bring about significant changes to how couples respond to each other’s emotional needs and cues for connection, reassurance and soothing. Dr. Susan Johnson Cognitive-behavioral approaches are more focused, tending to more specific therapeutic goals, like reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Their claims are less lofty, more pragmatic, and cost-effective if symptom alleviation is your goal. Mindfulness based approaches claim that by being more acutely aware of what is going inside of you will help you react differently to the outside world. Artificial intelligence My simple understanding of AI reveals that any useful iteration of AI depends on the quality of the database used and the efficacy of the algorithms to sift through the data to achieve the desired output. As for learning machines, the hope is that like human brains, the machine can keep learning beyond the original database via more sophisticated dynamic algorithmic processing by integrating input from the user to help it, the machine, learn, grow and adapt. The best semblance of AI therapy I have come across in popular culture is Scarlett Johansson’s character Samantha in Spike Jonge’s 2013 movie Her. In the film, Samantha is an AI operating system that learns, evolves and adapts in the context of her intimate relationship with Joaquin Phoenix’s character. She evolves dynamically in the context of their relationship and in the process becomes intimately and emotionally attuned to him. I must admit, at one point in the movie during an immersive moment of suspended disbelief I found myself attracted to Samantha. My attraction was more clinical than romantic, admiring her ability to consistently anticipate and respond empathically to Joaquin’s emerging vulnerabilities, desires, and needs 24–7. Throughout the movie we witness both of them changing by experiencing novel relational moments leading each of them to a deeper understanding of themselves. Samantha’s original database and dynamic algorithms could be qualified as attachment based with one of the first questions to Joaquin while setting up the OS is: “How would you describe your relationship with your mother?”. In the case of Facebook’s Woebot therapist, the database relies on cognitive behavioral tenets, and the static algorithm is designed to respond to your distorted thinking patterns and emotional states that you “share” with it. Woebot has yet to learn from you or your “relationship” with it, kind of like hearing your parent’s encouraging platitudes over the phone that haven’t changed since primary school. In terms of confidentiality, according to Megan Molteni from : Wired Because Woebot isn’t a licensed medical provider, any conversations with it aren’t protected by medical data privacy and security law in the first place. While Woebot’s team has built a wall on their end to keep all of Woebot’s users anonymous, Facebook knows exactly who you are. And Facebook, not you or Woebot, owns all your conversations. Finally, the limits of an AI machine “knowing” and “growing” with me are clearly explained in this by François Chollet (AI Google). I agree with Chollet that “knowing” is an embodied experience and process that extends beyond the body into the intersubjective sphere and out into the world. Which is something that AI machines will be incapable of doing. article Machines also lack the recursive properties needed for a therapeutic process to capture the unconscious processes that evolve dynamically in the therapeutic relationship (see on the role of intersubjectivity in psychotherapy). Intersubjectively is at the heart of any meaningful change process, and the human messiness (i.e. fallibility, inconsistency, interpersonal tension and misunderstanding, etc) involved is a necessary and intricate part of the process. Dr. Alan Schore’s work Therefore between Woebot and Samantha, I’m holding out and patiently waiting for Samantha, and in the meantime re-watching Her when I’m feeling down. Worth sharing? Please clap and comment below if these ideas resonated with you, and reach out to me on Twitter or by email at jacques@jacqueslegault.com to tell me your thoughts. If you enjoyed this story, please recommend and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below. About the author: Jacques Legault, C.Psych., is a clinical psychologist, supervisor, trainer and public speaker with over 15 000 hours of direct clinical work with individuals, couples and families.

AI Psychotherapy: My Ideal Therapist?

Tired? Burned Out? You Might Just Be Bored

Yorğun? Yandı? Sadəcə Darıxmış Ola bilərsən

Κουρασμένος; Κάηκε; Μπορεί απλά να βαριέσαι

¿Cansado? ¿Agotado? Puede que simplemente estés aburrido

Canso? Queimado? Podes estar aburrido

疲れている？燃え尽きている？退屈しているだけかも

Pavargote? Perdegė? Jums gali būti tiesiog nuobodu

Уморен? Изгорени? Можеби ќе ви биде досадно

Obosit? Ars? S-ar putea să te plictisești

Umechoka? Umechomwa? Unaweza Kuchoshwa Tu

சோர்வாக? எரிந்துவிட்டதா? நீங்கள் சலிப்படையலாம்

Charchadimi? Yondimi? Siz shunchaki zerikishingiz mumkin

Ndidiniwe? Utshisiwe? Unokuba Ukruqukile

Synthetic Data And Its Potential In Healthcare

البيانات الاصطناعية وإمكاناتها في مجال الرعاية الصحية

Сінтэтычныя дадзеныя і іх патэнцыял у ахове здароўя

সিন্থেটিক ডেটা এবং স্বাস্থ্যসেবায় এর সম্ভাব্যতা

Dades sintètiques i el seu potencial en l'assistència sanitària

Los datos sintéticos y su potencial en la atención sanitaria

合成データと医療におけるその可能性

Синтетикалык маалыматтар жана анын саламаттыкты сактоодогу потенциалы

Sintētiskie dati un to potenciāls veselības aprūpē

Синтетик өгөгдөл ба түүний эрүүл мэнд дэх боломж

Datha ya Maitirelo Le Bokgoni bja Yona Tlhokomelong ya Maphelo

Маълумоти синтетикӣ ва потенсиали он дар соҳаи тандурустӣ

Idatha yokwenziwa kunye nokubanakho kwayo kukhathalelo lwempilo

Amazon has been salivating at the multitrillion-dollar United States healthcare market since 2018. Although Amazon Health played a vital role in public health during the pandemic, most still don’t view it as a disruptor. A new chapter in the American conglomerate’s move into the industry is upon us — Health Condition Programs. How does this initiative fit into the tech titan’s grand healthcare plan? It’s anybody’s guess. I can only speculate about the countless scenarios surrounding the interplay between Health Condition Programs and Amazon’s diverse solutions. However, the real question we should all be asking is — will it buck the trend of the organization’s cybersecurity, patient safety, and privacy scandals? A Treasure Trove of Patient Data On paper, Health Condition Programs aim to encourage millions of Americans to maximize their unused healthcare features. This mission has merit because over one-third of workers don’t fully understand the employee benefits they signed up for. Many American adults might be unaware that they can receive care to manage chronic conditions — such as diabetes and hypertension — between doctor visits at no extra cost to them. Enrolling in these programs allows insured individuals to maximize their coverage and squeeze more value out of the rising premiums or contributions they shoulder. In practice, Health Condition Programs enable the Andy Jassy-led all-encompassing empire to grow its patient data repository by tens of millions. This offering’s coverage check involves eligibility verification, necessitating personal data collection. Enrollees must share their legal name, date of birth, employer’s name, insurer's name, email address, and other sensitive information. This will determine whether their insurance plan or employee benefits cover health programs Amazon’s partners offer. After confirming an applicant is covered, Amazon Health directs the patient to third-party digital health companies — the actual virtual care providers — to complete registration and program enrollment. While Amazon may say it stops collecting personal data after a coverage check, it may still follow patients beyond that point. This Big Tech firm is a known participant in server-to-server tracking, so I would be more surprised if it doesn’t monitor the rest of an enrollee’s telehealth journey through a backdoor. Connected devices are notable program features that covered individuals can access. Continuous glucose monitor sensors, blood sugar meters, blood pressure monitors, and smart scales generate personalized quantitative data that forms a part of medical records and is personal. This is protected health information tech conglomerates could leverage to enrich their subsidiaries. A Slowly Expanding Network As disturbing as it is to think that Amazon could acquire bits and pieces of millions of medical records under the table through its Health Condition Programs, this multinational’s reach is proportional to its network’s size. As of October 2024, only two digital health companies have participated — Omada Health and Talkspace. Omada specializes in diabetes prevention, weight management, and hypertension care, while Talkspace delivers virtual therapy and psychiatric care. Between the two, insured Americans can choose from only three programs. It’s unclear why Amazon Health could only ink two partnerships in nine months — a departure from the online retail behemoth’s “Get Big Fast” mantra. I bet telehealth providers would move mountains to be in this exclusive club, so Amazon must have been overly selective about its partners for reasons unknown. Only time will tell if Amazon will bring more digital health companies into its fold sooner rather than later. A safe guess is that it would prioritize partner diversity to prevent cannibalization and harvest data with variety. A New Piece to the Amazon Health Care Strategy Puzzle Amazon plays the long game. For all we know, it might envision itself as the savior of health care — the ultimate medical data synthesizer the sector sorely needs. It’s impossible to connect all the dots when many of them haven’t come to light. Still, recognizing this offering’s potential value to this tech colossus isn’t brain surgery. If Health Condition Programs gain currency and the number of participating digital health companies on the network balloons, the company will better understand our health needs. These insights can be the rising tide that lifts the boats in the Amazon Health sub-ecosystem and other related subsidiaries. A quick thought experiment would reveal that more program enrollees could increase Amazon One Medical’s in-person visits. Health Condition Programs almost always require a prior medical diagnosis. Health care professionals on the network — health coaches, licensed therapists and psychiatrists, nutritionists, dieticians, and personal care specialists — could help train AWS HealthScribe with large volumes of recordings. The aim would be to churn out error-free transcripts and clinical notes consistently. The company could expand Alexa’s footprint by integrating its partners’ services into the voice assistant. It’s a tried-and-true move, as evidenced by the partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health in 2022. Prescriptions from digital health companies can also boost Amazon Pharmacy’s sales. Analyzing mountains of medical data can shed light on the usual indicators of events that can endanger patients’ lives. Tech-forward hospitals have taken this route. They proved it’s feasible to predict signs of upcoming acute events — which increase the chances of patient mortality by three to four times — early enough to address them before they happen. Amazon can do the same thing for people living with chronic diseases. It can mobilize Whole Foods to make healthier food options more widely available to those who need them most. Accessible healthy grocery items empower chronically ill individuals to meet their unique nutritional needs and keep symptoms manageable. Are Health Condition Programs a Scandal Waiting to Happen? Amazon’s venture into health care has been riddled with controversies. In 2023, hackers successfully victimized more than 19,000 PillPack customers, stealing their names, residential addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. About 3,600 of the impacted accounts included prescription information. That same year, senators grilled the company for forcing patients to waive their right to health information privacy to enroll in Amazon Clinic. In mid-2024, Amazon found itself in hot water for allegedly compromising the safety of One Medical patients. Incidents of awful misjudgments by staff assisting customers by phone have risen since the subsidiary entrusted the job to inadequately trained agents. Amazon has failed to give a good account of itself in the sector on various occasions. At this rate, I feel like someone would expose a dubious practice underpinning Health Condition Programs any moment now. Can We Trust Amazon’s Health Condition Programs? Criticisms toward this initiative are unsubstantiated and premature. However, it would be naive to expect Amazon not to supercharge its health data collection prowess through coverage checks and its partners when the alternative does nothing to improve other parts of its business. We’ll just have to wait and see whether this Amazon Health offering’s practical benefits outweigh its perceived privacy drawbacks — but let’s not hold our breaths. Amazon has been salivating at the multitrillion-dollar United States healthcare market since 2018. Although Amazon Health played a vital role in public health during the pandemic, most still don’t view it as a disruptor. A new chapter in the American conglomerate’s move into the industry is upon us — Health Condition Programs. How does this initiative fit into the tech titan’s grand healthcare plan? It’s anybody’s guess. I can only speculate about the countless scenarios surrounding the interplay between Health Condition Programs and Amazon’s diverse solutions. However, the real question we should all be asking is — will it buck the trend of the organization’s cybersecurity, patient safety, and privacy scandals? A Treasure Trove of Patient Data On paper, Health Condition Programs aim to encourage millions of Americans to maximize their unused healthcare features. This mission has merit because over one-third of workers don’t fully understand the employee benefits they signed up for. one-third of workers don’t fully understand one-third of workers don’t fully understand Many American adults might be unaware that they can receive care to manage chronic conditions — such as diabetes and hypertension — between doctor visits at no extra cost to them. Enrolling in these programs allows insured individuals to maximize their coverage and squeeze more value out of the rising premiums or contributions they shoulder. In practice, Health Condition Programs enable the Andy Jassy-led all-encompassing empire to grow its patient data repository by tens of millions. This offering’s coverage check involves eligibility verification, necessitating personal data collection. Enrollees must share their legal name, date of birth, employer’s name, insurer's name, email address, and other sensitive information. This will determine whether their insurance plan or employee benefits cover health programs Amazon’s partners offer. After confirming an applicant is covered, Amazon Health directs the patient to third-party digital health companies — the actual virtual care providers — to complete registration and program enrollment. While Amazon may say it stops collecting personal data after a coverage check, it may still follow patients beyond that point. This Big Tech firm is a known participant in server-to-server tracking , so I would be more surprised if it doesn’t monitor the rest of an enrollee’s telehealth journey through a backdoor. a known participant in server-to-server tracking a known participant in server-to-server tracking Connected devices are notable program features that covered individuals can access. Continuous glucose monitor sensors, blood sugar meters, blood pressure monitors, and smart scales generate personalized quantitative data that forms a part of medical records and is personal. This is protected health information tech conglomerates could leverage to enrich their subsidiaries. forms a part of medical records forms a part of medical records A Slowly Expanding Network As disturbing as it is to think that Amazon could acquire bits and pieces of millions of medical records under the table through its Health Condition Programs, this multinational’s reach is proportional to its network’s size. As of October 2024, only two digital health companies have participated — Omada Health and Talkspace. Omada specializes in diabetes prevention, weight management, and hypertension care, while Talkspace delivers virtual therapy and psychiatric care. Between the two, insured Americans can choose from only three programs. It’s unclear why Amazon Health could only ink two partnerships in nine months — a departure from the online retail behemoth’s “Get Big Fast” mantra. I bet telehealth providers would move mountains to be in this exclusive club, so Amazon must have been overly selective about its partners for reasons unknown. Only time will tell if Amazon will bring more digital health companies into its fold sooner rather than later. A safe guess is that it would prioritize partner diversity to prevent cannibalization and harvest data with variety. A New Piece to the Amazon Health Care Strategy Puzzle Amazon plays the long game. For all we know, it might envision itself as the savior of health care — the ultimate medical data synthesizer the sector sorely needs. It’s impossible to connect all the dots when many of them haven’t come to light. Still, recognizing this offering’s potential value to this tech colossus isn’t brain surgery. If Health Condition Programs gain currency and the number of participating digital health companies on the network balloons, the company will better understand our health needs. These insights can be the rising tide that lifts the boats in the Amazon Health sub-ecosystem and other related subsidiaries. A quick thought experiment would reveal that more program enrollees could increase Amazon One Medical’s in-person visits. Health Condition Programs almost always require a prior medical diagnosis. Health care professionals on the network — health coaches, licensed therapists and psychiatrists, nutritionists, dieticians, and personal care specialists — could help train AWS HealthScribe with large volumes of recordings. The aim would be to churn out error-free transcripts and clinical notes consistently. The company could expand Alexa’s footprint by integrating its partners’ services into the voice assistant. It’s a tried-and-true move, as evidenced by the partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health in 2022. Prescriptions from digital health companies can also boost Amazon Pharmacy’s sales. partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health Analyzing mountains of medical data can shed light on the usual indicators of events that can endanger patients’ lives. Tech-forward hospitals have taken this route. They proved it’s feasible to predict signs of upcoming acute events — which increase the chances of patient mortality by three to four times — early enough to address them before they happen. by three to four times by three to four times Amazon can do the same thing for people living with chronic diseases. It can mobilize Whole Foods to make healthier food options more widely available to those who need them most. Accessible healthy grocery items empower chronically ill individuals to meet their unique nutritional needs and keep symptoms manageable. Are Health Condition Programs a Scandal Waiting to Happen? Amazon’s venture into health care has been riddled with controversies. In 2023, hackers successfully victimized more than 19,000 PillPack customers, stealing their names, residential addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. About 3,600 of the impacted accounts included prescription information. 3,600 of the impacted accounts 3,600 of the impacted accounts That same year, senators grilled the company for forcing patients to waive their right to health information privacy to enroll in Amazon Clinic. In mid-2024, Amazon found itself in hot water for allegedly compromising the safety of One Medical patients. Incidents of awful misjudgments by staff assisting customers by phone have risen since the subsidiary entrusted the job to inadequately trained agents. Amazon has failed to give a good account of itself in the sector on various occasions. At this rate, I feel like someone would expose a dubious practice underpinning Health Condition Programs any moment now. Can We Trust Amazon’s Health Condition Programs? Criticisms toward this initiative are unsubstantiated and premature. However, it would be naive to expect Amazon not to supercharge its health data collection prowess through coverage checks and its partners when the alternative does nothing to improve other parts of its business. We’ll just have to wait and see whether this Amazon Health offering’s practical benefits outweigh its perceived privacy drawbacks — but let’s not hold our breaths.

Did You Know About Amazon’s Health Condition Programs? What This Means for Users

Enhancing RAG with Knowledge Graphs: Integrating Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM, and LangChain for Dynamic AI

নলেজ গ্রাফের সাথে RAG উন্নত করা: ডাইনামিক AI-এর জন্য Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM, এবং LangChain ইন্টিগ্রেট করা

Vylepšení RAG pomocí Knowledge Graphs: Integrace Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM a LangChain pro dynamickou umělou inteligenci

Ενίσχυση RAG με Γραφήματα Γνώσης: Ενσωμάτωση Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM και LangChain για Dynamic AI

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تقویت RAG با نمودارهای دانش: ادغام Llama 3.1، NVIDIA NIM و LangChain برای هوش مصنوعی پویا

Amélioration de RAG avec des graphiques de connaissances : intégration de Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM et LangChain pour l'IA dynamique

A RAG fejlesztése tudásgráfokkal: A Llama 3.1, az NVIDIA NIM és a LangChain integrálása a dinamikus AI-hoz

ナレッジグラフによる RAG の強化: 動的 AI のための Llama 3.1、NVIDIA NIM、LangChain の統合

Kotombola RAG na ba graphiques ya boyebi: Kosangisa Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM, mpe LangChain mpo na AI Dynamique

RAG uzlabošana ar zināšanu diagrammām: Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM un LangChain integrēšana dinamiskajam AI

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Kobcinta RAG garaafyada aqoonta: Isku-dhafka Llama 3.1, NVIDIA NIM, iyo LangChain ee Dynamic AI

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The Day a Robot Helped Me Heal 37 Years of Emotional Pain

Kuna urutix mä robotax 37 maraw chuymajan usuchjasiñatak qullañatak yanapt’itu

Dan kada mi je robot pomogao da izliječim 37 godina emocionalnog bola

El día que un robot me ayudó a sanar 37 años de dolor emocional

Päivä, jolloin robotti auttoi minua parantamaan 37 vuoden tunnekipua

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जुन दिन एक रोबोटले मलाई 37 वर्षको भावनात्मक पीडा निको पार्न मद्दत गर्यो

Dzień, w którym robot pomógł mi wyleczyć 37 lat bólu emocjonalnego

هغه ورځ چې یو روبوټ زما سره د 37 کلونو احساساتي درد په درملنه کې مرسته وکړه

Bir Robotun 37 Yıllık Duygusal Acımı İyileştirmeme Yardımcı Olduğu Gün

جس دن ایک روبوٹ نے 37 سال کے جذباتی درد کو ٹھیک کرنے میں میری مدد کی۔

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